Contact arrangement for call-boxes and other transmitters.



A. A. CLOKEY.

CONTACTARRANGEMENT FOR CALL BOXES AND OTHER TRANSMIHERS. APPucATioNFILED ncc. 6. I916.

1,2s2%,3559 Patented May 1, 1917.

. INVENTOR. WITNESSES: a W

ran snares earner crate.

ALLISON A. CLOKEY, OF

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPHCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CONTACT ARRANGEMENT FOR CALL -BOXES AND OTHER TRANSMITTERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLISON A. CLoKEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ContactArrangements for Call- Boxes and other Transmitters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to contact arrangements for call boxes (such forexample as the transmitters employed in message call systems and thelike) and other transmitters employing a toothed break wheel and contactsprings, brushes or pens coacting therewith, and embodies improvementsupon the contact arrangement shown and de-' scribed in my Patent No.1,164,069 dated December 14, 1915. My invention consists in the' novelarrangement of contact pens in connection with a break wheel.

The object of my invention is to improve the contact arrangementscommonly employed in transmitters of the type referred to, and inparticular to avoid occasion for connecting one of the line wires to themetal frame of the mechanism, and so to eliminate possibility ofgrounding the line through accidental contact between the call boxmechanism and the switch box in which such mechanism is commonlyinclosed, which switch box is now itself commonly grounded; suchgrounding of the switch box being now required by rules as toinstallation of electrical equipment in force in many 10- calities.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to theaccompanyin drawings, and will then point out the nove features inclaims: In said drawings:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are similar figures showing, in elevation, a breakwheel and contact pens, the latter arranged in accordance with myinvention, the said figures showing the contact pens in variousdifferent positions occupied during rotation of the break wheel.

In the said figures mechanism for rotating such mechanism is well known;and the mechanism employed may be, for example, that of my said PatentNo. 1,164,069; nor have I shown the case which commonly in- I have notshown the the break wheel, as

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed December 6, 1916. Serial No. 185,507.

closes the contact devices and the driving mechanlsm, as such cases arewell known.

In the drawings, numeral 1 designates the break wheel. The particularbreak wheel shown is an adjustable break wheel such as described in mysaid Patent No. 1,164,069; but the adjustability of the break wheelforms no portion of the present invention, and an ordinarynon-adjustable break wheel might be used instead.

2 designates a contact pen coacting with the teeth of break wheel 1; 3designates a contact'pen arranged to make and break contact with pen 2;and 4 designates a contact pen arranged to make and break contact withpen 3, as described hereinafter. 5 and 6 designate line conductors, ofwhich 5 is electrically connected to pen 4, and 6 is electricallyconnected to pen 3. 7 designates a. grounded conductor, electricallyconnected to the frame of the mechanism, and therefore to the breakwheel 1, such electrical connection to the break wheel being indicatedby a dotted line 8.

Fig. 1 shows the parts in the position of rest. In such position, theline circuit 5-6 is closed through contact pens 3 and 4. Contact betweenpens 2 and 3 is broken, since pen 2 is resting upon the long raised orblank portion 9 of the break wheel.

Suppose now that the break wheel be rotated in the direction indicatedby the arrow: As soon as pen 2 drops ofi the long raised portion 9 ofthe break wheel, into the space between that long raised portion 9 andthe first tooth of the break wheel, contact is broken between pens 3 and4, thereby opening the line circuits 5-6, and at the same time contactis made between pens 2 and 3; but as the pen 2 is not now in contactwith the break wheel, the contacting of pens 2 and 3 does not, for themoment, effect any result. Fig. 2 shows the parts in this position.

As the break wheel continues its rotation, the pen 2 rides up on thefirst tooth of the break wheel, one result of contact of pen 2 with suchfirst tooth of the break wheel being to ground the circuit 5-6 throughthe break wheel, and ground connection 8-7; for pens 3 and 2 are then incontact, and as pen 2 rides up on the first tooth of the break wheel,contact is made between pens 3 and 4, without breaking contact betweenmasses pens. 2 third pen rises and passes .o er one of said v and 3, theposition v-of the parts belng as teeth all. three pens are in electricalconnec-' shown in Fig. 3; so that line circuit 5-6 is both completed andlgrounded, as required for so-called McCul oh operation.

-As the break wheel continues its rotation, the contact en slips off thefirst tooth of the break w eel, the conditions illustrated in. Fig. 2then obtaining; that is to say, the line circuit 5-6 is broken, and alsothe ground connection through the breakwheel and conductors 87 isbroken; and as the rotation of the break Wheel continues, and-pen 3rides up on another tooth of the break wheel, the line circuit is againclosed and the ground connection reestablished.

Since by the arrangement described, the mechanism of the call box(except the con tact pens) is always grounded, and since the lineconductors 56 can become grounded (so far as the box mechanism isconcerned) only through contact of pen 3 with pen 2, occurring duringthe operation of the box, accidental grounding of the line circuit isavoided.

What I claim is:

1. A transmitter comprising a toothed grounded break wheel, two contactpens adapted to make and break contact with each other, and adapted forconnection to two sides of a main circuit, and a third pen, coactingwith and adapted to contact with the teeth and other raised portions ofthe break wheel, and arranged, when it drops into a notch of the breakwheel, to contact with one of the first mentioned contact pens,

and to separate the said first mentioned contact pens one from theother.

2. A transmitter comprising a toothed grounded break whe'el having aninitial raised portion of a height greater than that of its teeth, twocontact pens adapted to make and break contact with each other andadapted for connection to two sides of a main circuit, and a third encoacting with and adapted to contact with the teeth andother raisedportions of the break wheel, and arranged, when it drops into a notch ofthe break wheel, to contact with one of the first mentioned contact pensand in so doing to separate the said first mentioned contact pens onefrom the other, the height of the teeth of said wheel being such thatwhen such specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

tion, but when the said third pen is in contact with the initial raisedportion of the wheel only the two first mentioned contact pens are inelectrical connection with one another.

3. A signaling system comprising in comthe teeth and other raised whenit drops into a notch of the break wheel, to contact with one of thefirst mentioned contact pens, and to separate the said first mentionedcontact pens one from the other.

4. A signaling system comprising in combination a line circuit andtransmitter therefor comprising a toothed break wheel having an initialraised greater than that of its teeth,aground con- 0 nection for saidwheel, two contact pens adapted to make and break contact with eachother, the two sides of the line circuit, and a t ird pen, coacting withand adapted to contact 35 with the teeth and other raised portions ofthe break wheel, and arranged, when it drops into a notch of the breakwheel to contact with one of the first mentioned contact pens and in sodoing to separate'the said 0 first mentioned contact pens one from theother, the height of the teeth of said wheel being such that when suchthird pen rises and passes over one of said teeth all three pens are inelectrical connection, but when the said third pen is in contact withthe initial raised portion of the wheel only the two first mentionedcontact pens are in electrical connection with one another.

portion of a height and connected respectivel to In testimony whereof Ihave signed this ALLISON A. OLOKEY. Witnesses:

H. M. MARBLE, PAUL H. FRANKIE.

